


Keep My Head Up (Just to Keep it Clear)

by lastchildofkrypton



Series: Company You Keep [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Adeline and Alice brotp, this got heavier than intended, wayhaught parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-12 05:06:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15332433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastchildofkrypton/pseuds/lastchildofkrypton
Summary: Nicole and Waverly's daughter gets into some trouble at school, but in true Purgatory fashion it is much more sinister than anyone thought.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I thought this was going to be a one shot but it got out of hand and I have over 7500 words written for it so I decided to break it up. I'm not sure how long it will be but it will likely be three or four chapters.
> 
> ***This story involves mention of some things that may be triggering to readers. I tried not to get graphic and don't feel it crosses any lines. But please read with caution and care.
> 
>  
> 
> Story title is from the Phillip Phillips song Can't Go Wrong  
> Series title is from the Maren Morris song Company You Keep

“Why am I not surprised that it’s you ladies in my office?” Principal Geurin says with a huff when he walks through the door to his office.  
“We just couldn’t stay away.” Alice says, slinging one leg over the arm of the chair, pulling the other up to her chest.

This is not an uncommon occurrence for either of the girls. Alice gets into trouble more often than not and she usual ends up dragging Adeline down with her.

“What is it this time, fighting? Vandalism? Switching Mr. Miller’s furniture around so it all faces backwards?”

He sounds completely unenthused. He sits back with his arms crossed over his chest and waits for one of them to fess up to their crimes.

“That last one was not just us. Do you think we could do all of that by ourselves?” Alice asks, “Look at these noodle arms.” She picks up one of Adeline’s arms and shakes it.  
“I’ve seen you take down the Hardy brothers singlehandedly. That argument is invalid. Just tell me what you did, so I can slap you with a week of detention and we can all move on with our lives.”

The girls share a look. Alice had hoped she could talk her way out of this one but she knows Principal Geurin has seen and heard it all before.

“No one? I’ve called your mothers and they’ll be here soon. So you can either tell me or you can tell them.”

Adeline’s eyes widen. She looks at her cousin who puts a hand on her knee. But neither of them speak.

“Okay, so we’ll wait.”

They don’t have to wait long. Wynonna bursts through the door, one hand on her hip, the other raised in the air in a questioning gesture.

“Seriously you two? I didn’t spend this much time at this school when I went here.”  
“Hi Mama.” Alice greets with a guilty tone.  
“You,” She points to Alice, “are grounded so long you’re gonna forget what outside air smells like. And you,” She points to Adeline, “better hope that it’s your Mom and not your Mama who shows up, because otherwise it will not be pretty.”

Adeline knows she’s right. Anyone on the outside looking in would assume that Waverly would be the softie and Nicole would be the hard ass. But it’s always been the other way around. Waverly has spent so long in this town, knowing how people treat anyone from their bloodline. She wants her kids to be better, to have better, and sometimes that translates into anger; not at her children, not really, but at the fact that they will always be set up for prejudice in Purgatory because of their family history.  
Nicole walks into the room, still in uniform. She was just down the street when Waverly called saying someone needed to go to the school, again. Adeline sighs with relief and lets her head fall forward slightly.

“Sheriff,” Principal Geurin stands and shakes her hand, “just in time for the confession.”

She gives a tight lipped smile before glaring down at her daughter. Adeline’s cheeks burn a deep red, her heart beats a little faster and she looks over at Alice. She gives her a knowing nod. She had promised that she wouldn’t say anything, and she meant it. She didn’t care how much trouble it got her in, her cousin was more important than a few days in detention. Besides she has almost completely chiseled, ‘Tuck Hardy is a douche’ into the entire back row of desks.

“Ladies, I suggest you talk now, make it easier on yourselves.”

Alice stays stoic. Adeline fiddles with her sneaker. She can’t stop moving.

“Fine, that’s your choice. In exchange for your silence you get two weeks of detention. If you speak now I’d be willing to lower it to one.”

He sighs when they don’t say anything.

“Fine, two weeks it is.”

They get out of their chairs and walk out of the office. The door closes behind them.

“Damn Earps.”

  
“I’m not impressed, Adeline.”

Adeline sighs and gets into the passenger seat. Her backpack sits by her feet and she leans toward the window, trying to put as much space between her and her mother as possible.

“Mama is already waiting at home and we’re going to talk about this. All of us.”

Adeline still doesn’t say anything. Nicole has a pit in her stomach. Trouble isn’t new for her daughter and niece but usually, after they’ve been caught, they’re willing to confess. However, this time their conspiratorial silence leaves a bad taste in Nicole’s mouth.  
Nicole, Wynonna’s, and Alice’s cars reach the homestead within a minute of each other. The girls follow their mothers into the main house and into the living room. Waverly is standing in the corner near the window with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Okay, one more chance to come clean before we take everything you own, and any ounce of freedom you have left, away from you.” Wynonna says.

The girls take a seat on the couch and look at each of their faces. Their mothers, individually are intimidating but when the three of them team up it’s like facing a firing squad. However, they have a lot of practice. Alice made Adeline a promise and she is nothing if not loyal. She looks at Adeline who looks like a kicked puppy.

“It’s up to you, Ads. I meant what I said.”  
“I can’t.”

Adeline’s voice is defeated. It’s the first time any of them had heard it all day.

“Adeline.” Waverly’s voice is a warning tone but Nicole puts her hand on her arm.

She can tell by the look on her face that something big happened. She sits on the coffee table in front of them and speaks more softly this time.

“Guys, whatever happened today, you know you can tell us anything. We might get mad but there’s nothing you could do that we can’t forgive.”

The girls are getting older and they’ve learned quite a bit about the curse and the road their family had to take to end it. Adeline knows that her mom isn’t lying but she still can’t fight the tightness in her chest. She looks down and takes a couple deep breaths that push her chest out enough for Nicole to notice.

“Adeline, last chance, kiddo. I mean it.”

Adeline looks up over her glasses and her resolve falls. She takes a few shuddery breaths and whispers,

“I’m sorry.”

Alice sits up straighter and wraps her in a hug. Adeline pushes her face into her cousins neck to hid the tears. All three women stand frozen; none of them know what to say or what to do. Alice is whispering in Adeline’s ear, Wynonna and Waverly can’t make out what she’s saying. Nicole can’t either until she hears the end of her sentence, ‘wasn’t your fault.’ When they pull apart her face is bright red, tear tracks down her cheeks.

“What wasn’t your fault?” Nicole asks.

Alice looks at her, a little surprised that she was able to hear her. She looks up at her mom and uses her head to gesture for her to sit down. Wynonna does, pulling Waverly to sit in the chair across the room while she sits on the arm of it. Alice doesn’t let go of Adeline; she has one hand on her back and one on her thigh.  
Wynonna has the same thought she has at least once a day, they are so much like her and Waverly. She fights the anger she already feels bubbling up in her stomach because whatever happened is bad. She can feel Waverly shifting in the seat next to her. She puts one strong, steady hand on her shoulder and squeezes.

“I don’t want to tell you.”  
“What I said stands. There’s nothing I can’t forgive.”

Adeline lets out another rattling breath before she starts to speak. Her voice is raspy and quiet.

“It was second period, algebra. I had to go to the bathroom but the girls bathroom downstairs is broken so I had to use the one up on the second floor, way at the end of the hall.”

Nicole’s face remains the same but inside she’s panicking.

“I was about to leave the bathroom when I heard a noise. So I stopped and turned around. There was someone in there that I hadn’t seen before. He was fast. He pushed me down and locked the door before I could do anything.”  
“He?” Wynonna asks.  
Adeline nods, “He pulled me across the floor and sat on top of me. He grabbed at my shirt and tried to get it off. He had his hand over my face so I couldn’t scream or do anything.”

Adeline pauses, she takes another breath but this time she can’t seem to get any air. Nicole moves forward and takes her hands.

“I thought he was going to…”

Nicole rubs her thumb over her knuckles.

“He didn’t.” She says, this time looking into Nicole’s eyes. “He didn’t get the chance. A teacher had unlocked the door and found us lying on the floor. She thought we were, you know. So she sent me to the office and yelled at him.”  
“He didn’t get into any trouble? He didn’t get sent to the office too?” Wynonna's voice is fierce, it’s loud.  
“Baby, why didn’t you say anything to her?”  
“I was embarrassed.” Adeline has tears flowing down her cheeks now. “I don’t even know this kid and he was just able to- I didn’t want anyone to know.”  
“How are you involved in this?” Wynonna asks her daughter. “Please tell me you kicked his ass.”

Alice gets up and walks over to her mom.

“Adeline came and found me on her way to the office. I could tell she was scared and upset. I told her that whatever happened I would cover for her.”  
“You’re a good cousin, a good friend.” Nicole says.

Wynonna wraps her arms around Alice when she leans against her. Nicole takes her empty spot.

“I don’t even know the kid’s name. He wasn’t anyone I had seen before.”  
“Alice, go get your yearbook, please.” Nicole says, “We’re gonna find this kid and nail his ass to the wall.”

Adeline leans into her mom. The whole situation plays out in her head. If that teacher hadn’t come in, if she hadn’t been given a key to the bathroom, she wouldn’t be okay. Nicole kisses her head and notices how Adeline flinches just slightly at the unwarranted touch.

“Here Auntie Nic.”

Alice hands her the yearbook and Nicole flips to the individual portrait section. She places it in Adeline’s lap.

“Can you try to find him in here?”

Adeline flips through but she doesn’t see him.

“So he’s either a new student or he’s one of the ones not pictured.”

Nicole stands and grabs her jacket.

“Where are you going?” Adeline asks.  
“I’m going to the school. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Nicole tries her best to sound solid, to sound professional but inside she wants to scream. She wants to rip that school apart until she finds this kid and throw him in a holding cell until she cries for his mom. Waverly looks up at Wynonna and she knows what she’s asking.

“Hold up, Haught. I’m coming with you.”

Nicole doesn’t argue. In fact she could use the firepower.

“Al, the teacher that found them?” Wynonna asks before they walk out the door.  
“Mrs. Pollis, English.”

They leave and the house is left in silence. The kind of silence that gives you a ringing in your ear just so your eardrum has something to focus on. Adeline looks over to her Mama. Waverly has barely moved since she sat down. She is trying to wrap her brain around what her daughter has told her. She’s trying to figure out how this could have happened.

“Mama?”

Waverly’s eyes flicker up to look at her, her expression is unreadable.

“Mama, I’m so sorry.”

This breaks her trance. She moves over to the couch and opens her arms to allow Adeline to climb into them if she wants. She does.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”  
“Hey, listen to me. This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault. We’re going to find this kid and he’s going to pay.”

Adeline lets herself cry; the pent up tears and breath and hurt that she’s been holding in her chest since being let out of that bathroom.

“This is not your fault. You did the most important thing you could have done. You fought.”

  
Nicole pulls her cruiser up to the front of the school. She’s barely put it in park before she’s getting out and walking toward the main entrance.

“So what’s the plan?” Wynonna asks. “We don’t even know what this kid looks like.”  
“First, I’m talking to the principal. Telling him what happened. If he doesn’t try to resolve it then I’m pulling my kid out of this damn school.”

She stops walking before she gets to the door and Wynonna almost walks right into her.

“This is a place that I should feel safe sending my kids to everyday. School is a place where kids learn, and they can’t do that if they’re scared for their safety. I need to know that we aren’t the only ones looking out for them.”

Nicole has fire in her eyes; the same expression she gets whenever she has a particularly hard case or when there are supernatural factors at play. But this time it’s different, it’s personal; the most personal it could ever get. Wynonna nods and follows her into the school. Nicole doesn’t knock, she doesn’t wait to be told she can go into the office.

“Sheriff Haught, back so soon?”  
“Yeah, there are some things we need to discuss.”  
“Which are?” He asks, looking between both women.  
“My daughter was sexually assaulted in one of your bathrooms. Then she was the one sent here while this boy walked.”  
“Sheriff Hau-”  
“So I need to know if you’re willing to help me find this kid. If not then I will do a full investigation until I find him myself.”

He leans forward and folds both hands on the desk.

“Sheriff, I assure you that we do everything we can to guarantee the safety of our students.”  
“Well, you’re doing a real stand up job.” Wynonna says, under her breath.  
“Whatever Adeline said happened, I’m sure it’s not the whole story.”  
“You’re saying she’s lying?” Nicole says, recoiling like she has just been smacked in the face. “My daughter is at home on our couch crying because of what this boy did to her. She’s embarrassed and terrified and you think she made it up?”  
“No, I’m sorry.” Nicole knows he’s not. “What can I do to help?”  
“I need to talk to these kids.” She hands him the list of kids who didn’t have pictures in the yearbook. “And I need to speak with a Mrs. Pollis immediately.”

He leaves the room to talk to his secretary. Wynonna grabs Nicole’s arm.

“You okay?”  
“No. No, I’m not.”

They wait for him to come back. When he does he’s followed by a young woman, no more than twenty five years old. When she notices Nicole she looks nervous.

“Sheriff, this is Lena Pollis. She’s an English teacher here.”

Nicole gives a curt nod.

“Is there something wrong, Sheriff?”

Nicole takes a minute to compose herself so Wynonna steps in.

“You found two students in the upstairs bathroom today.”  
“Oh, um, yes, I did. It seemed as though I interrupted something, uh, inappropriate.”  
“One of those students was my daughter,” Nicole says, her voice rigid, “we’re trying to find the boy.”  
“He isn't one of my students. This is my first year teaching so I don’t know many of the kids unless I have them in class. Can I ask why you’re looking for him? It just seems like a case of poor judgment; innocent enough.”  
“What you walked in on today wasn’t consensual. We need to find him before he tries to do something like this again.”

Lena’s eyes widen. She looks between Principal Geurin, Nicole, and Wynonna.

“Can you describe this kid?”  
“Um, he had,” She stumbles on her words, “brown hair, he was about five-nine maybe. Brown eyes.”  
“Brown hair, brown eyes, and average height. That really narrows it down.” Wynonna snaps.  
“Anything else you can think of?”

Nicole watches her hands. They move from the bottom button of her shirt to its hem, up to her necklace.

“There was one thing. He had a scar, almost unnoticeable, above his left eye.”  
“Got it. Thanks for your help.”

Nicole starts out of the room but turns. She has one hand resting on her gun in its holster.

“Principal Geurin, I think you may want to reevaluate the disciplinary procedures in your school,” She turns her attention back to Lena, “it seems as though there are some double standards happening.”

She walks out of the room and Wynonna scoffs. She knows Nicole isn’t trying to be funny or make a joke but sometimes it’s moments like these that make her like her sister-in-law more.

When Nicole walks into the reception area there are a group of six boys sitting in the chairs and standing around.

“These are almost all of the boys you asked about, Sheriff Haught.” Laura, the receptionist, says.  
“Almost?”  
“Four of them were either absent or were not where they were supposed to be during this period. We’re trying to track them down.”

Nicole looks at the group; there are three with blonde hair and one with red hair that almost matches her own. The Sheriff side of her wants to get right to business but the mother side of her wonders why they didn’t have school photos. Her mind wanders for just a second to their home lives. If she had any inclination at all she could probably tell a lot just by their clothes, their posture, the expression on their faces at the sight of the town Sheriff. But the only thing she wants right now is to find the kid who caused her baby harm.

She points to the boys that couldn’t possibly match Lena Pollis’ description, “You, you, you, and you, can all go. I would like to speak with you two in the principal’s office, please.”

She gives them a look that means she isn’t messing around. One look at the weapon on her hip and the practiced, stern, parental expression on her face and they walk right inside.

“Have a seat please boys.” Principal Geurin says.

Nicole looks to Lena who shakes her head. Nicole looks downtrodden, she should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Even when she does find this kid she isn’t sure what she’s going to do with him. She doesn’t have any proof that he did anything other than Adeline’s word. And even if she knows she would never lie about something like this, that argument isn’t good enough for disciplinary action.  
Wynonna looks at the list Laurie gave Nicole. There are only four names that haven’t been crossed off. The four boys they couldn’t find.

“Do you guys know Anthony Valdez, Peter Rivens, Lawrence Yeers, or Viktor Price?”

One of the boys shakes his head. He looks relaxed. The other boy stiffens at the mention of the second name.

“What do you know?” Wynonna asks.

Nicole leans herself against the desk. He doesn’t say anything for several minutes.

“Come on, kid. We don’t have all day and I work nights.” Wynonna chides.  
“Viktor Price, he’s known around my part of town.”

Nicole takes this moment to look at his clothes, his haircut, the way he sits curled into himself, almost like he’s trying to go unnoticed. He’s wearing torn jeans and a leather jacket that’s a couple sizes too big.

“What part of town would that be?” Nicole asks.  
“The trailer park. On the outskirts.”  
“Bobo’s old stomping grounds.” Wynonna says, quietly to Nicole.  
“Vik is someone you don’t mess with.”  
“Correction,” Wynonna cuts in, “he’s someone you don’t mess with. Us on the other hand… do you know where we could find him?”  
“He hangs out by the quarry. Some of the guys told me he’s thrown people down there when they don’t do what he wants.”  
“Real stand up guy, huh?”

Wynonna grabs her jacket and puts it on. Nicole doesn’t move.

“This Viktor, does he have a scar over his left eye?”  
“He’s got a lot of em. But I think so, yeah.”  
“Nicole grabs her own jacket and stalks out of the room without another word.”

When Wynonna finally catches up to her she’s already in her cruiser.

“Nicole, what’s the plan? We can’t just go in guns blazing to get this kid.”  
“Why not? That was always your plan before.”  
“Yeah, well things have changed.”  
“Seriously? You heard what that boy said, he lives in the trailer park, and he’s a bad guy. You know what that makes him.”  
“What it might make him. Or he may just be a troubled kid from a small town with limited ways to vent his frustrations. Sounds a little familiar, don't you think?”

Nicole sighs and slams her hands on the steering wheel.

“He hurt her, Wynonna. I’ve never seen my baby that scared and I just- I need to-”  
“I know,” Wynonna puts her hand, gently, on Nicole’s arm, “I know. But we need to be smart about this. You’re the Sheriff, I don’t need to explain to you how that changes things.”

Nicole nods.

“We need a plan. A good one.”

 

  
Alice hasn’t left Adeline’s side. They’re sitting on the porch swing. Adeline has showered, she just needed to get the feeling of his hands off of her. It didn’t work. Alice is playing with her hair and making sure the blankets are snug around her shoulders.

“Al?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Do you ever wish that you could get out of here?”

Alice’s eyes flicker over to her cousin but she doesn’t notice because her own eyes are cast downward.

“Do you?”  
“I didn’t. Until today.”  
“Ads, what happened today doesn’t change the way any of us feel about you. What this kid did is disgusting and our moms are going to find him and make him pay. You gotta have faith in that.”  
“Faith.” She basically spits the word out.  
“We love you. We know what this town can create, the kind of unsavory things that happen here, and that’s why it’s so important that we stay.”

Adeline finally looks up at her cousin with her eyebrows pulled together.

“What do you mean?”  
“Curse or no curse there are still a lot of bad things living here. And who better to protect the few good people left in this town other than the Earps?”  
“Why does that fall on us? How is that fair?”

Alice sighs. If she’s honest she’s asked herself that question a million times. She’s always felt an obligation to this town; maybe it’s because of who her mother is, or maybe it’s because of who her mother is, or maybe it’s just the kind of person she is. Either way, she knows that she’s sticking around to make sure that her home stays protected from whatever Hell spawn feels the need to attack it.

“Because we’re the only ones good enough. We’re made of fire and brimstone, whiskey and gunpowder, Earp and Holliday and Haught. That will always be a good enough reason for me to fight. You with me or not?”

Adeline sits in the words. She hadn’t realized Alice had given it that much thought. She always had a way with words, but usually the snarky, quick-wittedness that has been groomed by her mother. But now it’s clear she’s given it time. She’s already made her choice and Adeline knows that when it comes down to it she would walk through fire for her cousin. She would do anything to make sure she’s safe.

“I’m with you.”  
“Good, cause I can’t do this without you.”  
“Do what?”  
“Any of it?” She shrugs. “All of it.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Deux.

Nicole slams the door to her cruiser shut with much more force than she ever would normally. Wynonna winces but follows her into the center of the park. There are leather and denim clad men, easily three times their size, all around them. Some of them don’t pay any mind; they just continue cleaning their guns, playing their poker games or drinking their bottom shelf whiskey.

“Evening Sheriff. Wynonna.”  
“Doc, what the hell are you doing here?” Wynonna asks.  
“I received a call from Alice, asking me to assist you on this case.”  
“How did you find out where Viktor was before we did?”  
“I have my ways, Sheriff Haught, you have yours.”

NIcole is too tired and overtaken by her tunnel vision to ask anymore questions. She finds a group of young boys, around Adeline’s age.

“Hey, you got a minute?”  
“For the Sheriff? Of course.” One of them says.  
“Cut the shit.” Wynonna says, “Either cooperate or all of your asses will be spending the night in a holding cell.”  
“Do you know Viktor Price?”  
“Who wants to know?” One of the others asks.  
“You just called her Sheriff. You know who, dumbass.”

A couple of the other kids chuckle behind his back. The first boy to speak, their leader Nicole would assume, steps forward.

“What did Vik do now?”  
“That’s not important. I just need to speak with him.”  
“He’s down at the quarry tending to a little business of his own.”

Nicole starts toward the edge of the park, where the quarry sits, usually undisturbed.

“But Sheriff, I would recommend you don’t interrupt. He’s very serious about his work.”  
“Yeah? Well so am I.”

She stalks off, Wynonna and Doc right on her heels. Before they reach the clearing where the quarry sits, they hear screaming. They take off running and unfortunately none of them are surprised by what they find. Three guys, the middle one they can only assume is Viktor, are holding a man, much older than they are, over the pit. At the bottom are piles of limestone, a drop from this height would surely kill him. Nicole raises her gun.

“Sheriff’s Department, freeze!”

They all turn and Viktor gives a sinister smile.

“Sheriff, I was hoping I would see you today.”

He gesture with his head and the other men drop their victim onto the grass and he sprints away.

“Viktor Price?”  
“Yes ma’am.” He answers with a flimsy southern drawl and tip of a pretend hat.

He saunters over to Nicole, he gestures for the other men to leave them and they obey.

“Why’d you leave school so early today?”  
“As you can see I had some pressing matters to attend to.”  
“Yeah, I can see that.”

He smirks and she steps a little closer. Her voice lowers by an octave and gets quiet enough for only him to hear.

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t arrest you right now for assault.”  
“Because I know that useless sack of shit isn't the real reason you’re here.”  
“Why don’t we take a ride to the station? We can have a chat.”  
“Playing koi, officer? I wondered where your baby girl got it from. We all know your wife never had an issue flaunting those legs all over town. But Adeline, sweet, innocent Adeline, always modest. I know you’re not biologically related, but I do see the resemblance.”

Nicole’s blood runs cold at the mention of her family.

“Tell me, would you struggle like she did, if I had you locked away somewhere?”  
“That’s it.”

Wynonna kicks the back of his knees and puts him down on the ground. She pushes Peacemaker into his back and it lights up.

“Nicole, give me your handcuffs before I kill this shit ticket right here.”

Nicole feels like she can’t move. She saw something in Viktor’s eyes that she hasn’t seen in a long time, except in her nightmares.

“Doc, get him in the cruiser.”

Wynonna pushes Viktor toward Doc, who willingly escorts him to Nicole’s car. Wynonna wraps her arm around Nicole’s waist and nudges her forward but she doesn’t move. Nicole falls to pieces. She rests her forehead against Wynonna’s shoulder and sobs.

“What are we going to do?”  
“We’re going to lock this kid away for the rest of his useless life.”

 

 

 

It’s late. Nicole and Wynonna haven’t come back yet and Waverly is starting to get nervous. Not so much for her wife and sister’s safety, she knows they can take care of themselves, but she’s scared that Nicole has done something she’s going to regret; something that will tear away at her conscience until she’s destroyed. That’s the one thing she worries about most with all of her loved ones; losing them to the darkness. It’s come too close too many times already.

“Mama?”

Waverly looks down at her daughter. She thought she was asleep. Her and Alice have both settled in the bed with her. Alice is sound asleep on Nicole’s side. Her hair is half covering her face, her arm hanging off the side.

“You okay, baby?”  
“Mom and Nonna aren’t home yet.”  
“Not yet,” Waverly says, trying to sound nonchalant, “but you know them. They are… determined.”  
“You don’t think they’re gonna do something that’ll get them hurt?”  
“I hope not. But that’s a risk we take everyday, right? Your mom is the Sheriff after all.”  
“Yeah, but normally the situation isn’t my fault.”  
“Hey, look at me.”

Adeline looks up at her, her eyes are still half closed and she’s blinking a lot but Waverly knows she’s listening.

“This is not your fault. I’ll say it a million times if that’s what it takes for you to get that.” Waverly rests her cheek on the top of Adeline’s head, “We never meant for this to get to you guys. We fought as hard as we could to stop the curse but it doesn’t matter, and I’m so sorry, honey, I’m so sorry.”  
“Alice is an idiot,” Waverly scoffs, “but she reminded me of something today.”  
“Do I wanna know?”  
“She reminded me that there’s no one better than us to do what we do.”  
“We do?” Waverly asks, with a raised eyebrow, confused by the wording.  
“Yeah, there’s a reason whoever that guy was today attacked me. I want dolls to start training me.”  
Waverly shakes her head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”  
“Well it’s better than something like this happening again and me having no idea what to do. Mama, I just wanna feel safe.”

Waverly squeezes her tighter and kisses her head.

“Okay, we’ll talk about it.”

 

 

 

 

“I dare you to say one more thing.” Wynonna says, her voice is full of rage.

They have Viktor in a holding cell. He’s leaning against the cement wall while Wynonna paces back and forth. The heels of her boots make a thud with each step. Her hand itches over Peacemaker as her teeth make holes in her lower lip.

“Wynonna, can I have the room?”

Nicole steps in. Wynonna can see the exhaustion on her face. But she knows that Nicole needs to deal with him for her own peace of mind. She hesitates, just a moment, before she leaves the room to go watch the security monitors with Dolls and Doc.

“Viktor, a word?”  
“Sure, how about this one?”

He walks forward just in front of the metal bars. Her daughter’s voice screaming, ‘Help!’, echoes all around her. She isn’t sure how he does it but she learned a long time ago that revenants have their ways of messing with your mind; and they’re all different and some are more manipulative than others. She tries not to let her devastation show. She grips her gun and stands straighter.

“Neat trick, but your amateur magic show isn’t going to help you when you’re in a government holding cell for the rest of your disgustingly useless life. Do you have any idea what solitary confinement for a lifetime can do to someone?”  
“It’s probably a lot like what a decade long trip to the center of Hell can do to someone. Sheriff, you have no idea the shit I’ve seen, the things I’m capable of. Your daughter, on the other hand, she saw a little bit of it today, and we aren’t even close to finished yet.”  
“You leave her out of this. This is between you and me now.”  
“And your ragtag team of misfits?” He laughs, a maniacal laugh.  
“Have a nice night, Viktor. Hope the cockroaches don’t bite too hard.”

Nicole turns on her heel but stops when Viktor speaks again. His voice has gotten even more sinister, if that were at all possible.

“Oh Sheriff? You might want to send a patrol by Lena Pollis’ place. I have a feeling she isn’t doing too well. 154 Hawkins St, if my memory serves.”

Nicole walks out of the holding cell area and into the bullpen.

“Haught, you okay?” Dolls asks, a heavy hand on her shoulder.  
Nicole speaks to an officer walking by, “We need a squad car at 154 Hawkins, ASAP. Check that the resident is okay and report back.”

The officer nods and walks away quickly.

“Nicole, you should go home, check on Adeline, and get some sleep.”  
“I’m not leaving until we’ve decided what we’re doing with him.”  
“We have the cells in the new BBD office. We could transport him there.” Dolls suggests.  
“Or Wynonna could just shoot him. I saw the reaction from Peacemaker.”  
“Nicole, go home and get some sleep. He’s in the cell for the night. We’ll figure the rest out in the morning.”

It’s clear none of them are going to budge so she walks out of the station and gets into her cruiser. The ride back to the homestead feels so much longer than it normally does. She parks the car and walks into the cottage as quietly as possible. She unties her boots and pulls off her jacket. She feels as though she’s lived seven days in just this one.  
She walks up the stairs and looks in on her son. He’s sound asleep, no doubt he hasn’t been told what happened, otherwise he wouldn’t let his sister out of his sight. She shuts his door and walks down the hall, Adeline isn’t in her room and she isn’t surprised by that. She finds Waverly and the girls in their bed, all asleep. She walks over and kisses Waverly and Adeline, and runs her fingers through Alice’s crazy curls.

“Hi Sweetie.”

Nicole sits on the edge of the bed and smiles down at her wife.

“Hi baby, I didn’t mean to wake you.”  
“That’s okay, I was trying to wait up for you.”

Waverly looks into Nicole’s eyes, in the gentle glow of the light from the hallway. It’s clear the day has taken its toll. Waverly runs her fingertips over Nicole’s chin and down her neck.

“Are you alright?”

Nicole nods and leans into her wife’s touch. After any difficult day one look at Waverly, one wiff of her perfume, or a kiss can turn it all around. But not tonight. The only thing that can make this night better is the knowledge that Viktor Price is going to get what’s coming to him.

“How was Adeline?”  
“Worried about you, but she was okay. She’s tough.”  
“I wish she didn’t have to be.”

Waverly climbs out of the bed and pulls on Nicole’s hand. Nicole follows her apathetically down to the kitchen. Waverly puts water on to boil to make tea. She walks behind Nicole and rubs her shoulders before bending down to kiss her neck and cheek.

“What were you able to find out?”  
“We have the kid in custody at the station. We’re trying to figure out what to do with him.”  
“He doesn’t have any family that’s looking for him?”  
“Not that kind of kid, Waves.”  
“A revenant.”  
“He had his buddies take care of the teacher that found them.”

Waverly knows the tone. She can practically see the crime scene but her attention is diverted when the tea pot starts whistling. She grabs it and pours two mugs of chamomile.

“What did Wynonna say?”  
“Not much. Dolls and Doc are staying at the station to ensure there are no issues tonight and I’ll go back in the morning.” Nicole takes a sip of the tea and it burns her tongue.  
“Mom?”

Waverly and Nicole both jump when their daughter appears in the doorway.

“Hey baby, why aren’t you sleeping?”  
“I was, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Nicole stands and wraps Adeline up tightly in her arms. She breathes in her favorite scent, the smell of her shampoo, the same shampoo Waverly uses. It reminds her of home and nights curled up on the couch; nights much, much better than this one.

“I’m fine. How about you? Are you okay?”  
“I think so. I’m pretty pissed off actually.”

Waverly had sensed that before she went to sleep. The anger. The kind of anger that only comes from having your safety and security taken away. The kind of anger that tears at you and makes you question every move you’ve ever made. The kind of anger that comes from having to question yourself at all.

“It isn’t fair what happened today and it isn’t right.”  
“No, it’s not, baby. We’re working on it, okay?”  
“What does that mean?” She pulls away from Nicole and starts to pace the kitchen, “Nothing we do to him on Earth could ever compare to Hell. So what, he gets locked up until we all die and then he gets set free, or breaks out, or what?”

Adeline’s voice gets louder and higher. She’s spiraling. They’re just surprised it took this long.

“Ads-”  
“No. He needs to be put down.”

Nicole puts both hands on her shoulders and looks deep into her eyes.

“We are working on it.” She punctuates each word. “You need to trust me and Wynonna. Can you do that?’

Adeline doesn’t say anything else. She stares back into her mother’s eyes for a few minutes before walking out of the room. Nicole sees an emptiness, a harshness in Adeline’s eyes that she’s never seen before and she knows that’s just the beginning. The life of an Earp, or anyone who loves one, isn’t easy but she never thought it would be this hard to accept that.

 

 

 

  
When Nicole and Waverly wake up, the girls aren’t in their bed and Alice’s truck is gone from the driveway. Nicole’s heart leaps out of her chest and she looks around for her phone. When she picks it up she has three missed calls from Wynonna and it starts to ring again. It barely sounds before she answers.

“Hello?”  
“Haught, the girls are at the station.”  
“What do you mean? Are they alright?”  
“Yeah but I think you should get here.”

Nicole throws on her uniform as fast as she can. Waverly follows her out the door and Nicole decides that speed limits can wait.

“Auntie Wave, Aunt Nicole,” Alice gets up from her perch on one of the desks, “I’m so sorry. I tried to stop her but-”

Waverly puts her hand on Alice’s arm.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you drive her here?”  
“She got my keys and it was either let her go or get in with her. I chose the lesser of two evils.”  
“Well, thanks for looking out for her.”

Alice isn’t used to this side of Nicole. She’s used to the fun side. The protectiveness isn’t new but the fierceness, the gravel in her voice and the darkness in her eye, those are new.

“Doc, where is she?” Waverly asks.  
“Wynonna has been trying to talk her out of going into the holding cell. I think she may be in need of some assistance.”

Nicole and Waverly walk to the doorway near the holding cells.

“Sweet girl, listen to me,” Wynonna has her hands on Adeline’s shoulders, desperately trying to get her to meet her eye line, “I know you’ve heard this since you were little, but these men, these things, are not things you want to mess with.”  
“Yeah, well it’s time for me to start facing things on my own instead of having my family take care of everything for me.”  
“And this is where you want to start?”  
“Better now than later.”

Wynonna curses her family’s genes of stubbornness. She sighs, relieved that Nicole and Waverly are here.

“Adeline, what were you thinking?” Waverly’s tone is harsh but still somehow laced with concern. “Having us wake up and you just not being there?”  
“I needed to do something.”  
“I told you we had it covered.” Nicole says.  
“This is my fight, Mom. I’m not weak.”  
“Nobody thinks that.”   
“He thought that.” She shoots back. “That’s why he went after me out of everyone. Alice goes to that school too but everyone knows not to fuck with her. He was trying to get to you, to all of you and he thought, what better way than to target me because I couldn’t fight back. But now he’s locked in a metal box with nowhere to go, and he’s gonna know exactly how I felt.”  
“Adeline, you’re scaring me.” Waverly says.

Adeline brushes past Wynonna and into the holding cell area. Viktor has been laying on the bench, his arm slung over his face but as soon as he hears the footsteps he picks his head up and smiles. The kind of smile that makes Adeline’s stomach twist but she keeps her poker face; the one she learned from Doc.

“We meet again.” He says.  
“Funny how things go.”  
“Couldn’t stay away? We were interrupted before things got good.”

He walks over to the bars and wraps a hand around one. He’s squeezing so tight his knuckles turn white. His tongue runs over his teeth before he bites his lower lip.

“Can I ask you something?”  
“Anything you want, sweet girl.”

The nickname comes out with a sneer and it sends shivers down her spine. He heard everything.

“Was I right?”  
“About you being the weakest link?” He shrugs. “Actually that would be your little brother but he’s, uh, not really my type. And your cousin, she’s got a mouth on her that I’m sure could do some very dirty things but it wasn’t worth the struggle. You were what’s left.”  
“Why? My family only hunts revenants that are causing problems. If you hadn’t done this then you would still be free, no threat of a trip back to Hell.”  
“Maybe, but in our line of work there is always a risk of being sent back down. At least this way I got to have a little fun before it all ended.”  
“Our?”  
“What I did, it was just for fun. Although it was. I serve a higher power.”  
“Was it worth it?”

She regrets asking the question before it’s even fully out of her mouth. He chuckles. The same sound that Nicole heard last night echoes around them. Wynonna and Nicole rush into the room. Wynonna is confused when she sees Adeline is fine, but Nicole knows better.

“You hear that? That’ll last me a million lifetimes. It will get me through some lonely nights.”

Wynonna pulls Peacemaker out of her boot and pushes it against his head.

“Watch your mouth.”

He puts his hands up in surrender.

“I’m just trying to be honest, like you stand up citizens. Especially you, Sheriff Haught. The moral pillar of our society, right? The girl from the city that made good after a rather troubled past. At least that's what they say.”

Wynonna puts Peacemaker down to her side.

“I do have one regret.” He looks to the door and they realize for the first time that Alice is there, “I wish I had taken you too. Instead of having my buddy Sampson do it.”

Alice’s eyes water and her face gets hot.

“What is he talking about?” Wynonna asks.  
“Sampson is a-”  
“-a revenant. Oh yeah, and the heir’s baby girl fucked him. Who would have thought the next generation of Earps would be so submissive?”

Alice rushes over and grabs Peacemaker from Wynonna’s grasp.

“Alice, no!” Adeline screams, but it’s too late.

The gunshot echoes all around them. It’s always so much louder when in an enclosed space. Alice always forgets that. The fiery pit opens up inside the cell and they hear Viktor scream until it closes back up again.  
Alice throws the gun across the room and stares down at her hands. She’s seen several revenants put down but never by her own hand. The room is silent except for the ringing in their ears. Adeline is looking at her cousin with wide eyes. Wynonna is fighting the tears in her own. Nicole has her eyes closed. Time seems to stand still. Waverly, Dolls, and Doc are standing outside the door, they came running when they heard the gunshot.  
Alice bursts into tears and Wynonna pulls her close. She kisses her head and makes shushing sounds.

“Sh, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me (or with me): www.lastchildofkrypton.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter Three

Wynonna has Alice wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. She hasn’t spoken a word since they left the Sheriff’s Department. Adeline is sitting on the floor with her back against the armchair. She has her arms wrapped around her knees, pulled tightly to her chest. Her eyes follow Wynonna’s hand working its way through Alice’s unruly curls. Alice stares, unblinking, at the fireplace. The flames reflect in her eyes; too bright, but she can’t stop looking, she hears the echoes of Viktor’s screams.  
Doc hasn’t left his perch on the table at the back of the room. That’s the way he’s always been; just within arms reach but far enough away to let his girls do what they need to. Wynonna is the fierce protector, the hothead. Doc is the strategist, the cunning conman. He will sit and stew until he comes up with a way, any way, to make Alice feel better. But more importantly he’ll find a way to make someone pay for this.

“What do we do?” Waverly asks.

Her and Nicole have settled in the kitchen. They are out of earshot but they have a clear view of the girls through the doorway.

“There’s not much we can do.” Nicole sighs, “Are we really surprised? She’s Wynonna’s kid after all.”  
“What does that mean?”  
“It means she’s a fighter by nature. Nothing we could have done would have stopped something like this from happening sooner or later.”

Waverly knows she’s right. She knows that the second they started bringing children into this world they were opening themselves up to this incredible heartache.

“I wish it was later. They’re just kids. How are we going to explain this to Asher?”

Headlights wash over the kitchen through the window and they hear two door slams.

“I don’t know but I guess we have to figure it out fast.”

Waverly walks outside, wrapping her sweater tighter around her shoulders to greet Asher and Dolls. Asher walks right over and wraps her in a hug.

“Hi Mama.”  
“Hi mister man. How were the batting cages?”  
“Awesome, Dolls hit a ball so hard he broke the stitches.”

Dolls shrugs and gives a little smirk. He ruffles his hand through Asher’s curly red hair and walks into the house to check on Alice; Wynonna called them sometime between the gunshot and the car ride home.

“Mama?”

Asher keeps his arms wrapped around Waverly’s waist and looks up at her with the same puppy dog eyes he got from his mom and her heart starts to hurt all over again.

“Yeah Ash?”  
“What happened today?”  
“What do you mean?”

He lets go of her and pushes himself up to sit on the railing.

“Dolls got a call when we were in the car and then he started acting weird. He kept coming up with stuff for us to do so we didn’t have to come home. What happened?”  
“Buddy, listen,” Nicole appears in the doorway. Waverly wraps her arms around her waist and she can feel her whole body tense, “there was an incident with your sister and Alice at school.”  
“What kind of incident? Are they okay?”

He jumps off and starts to go inside but Nicole grabs him by the arm. The last thing the girls need is him barging in and barraging them with a million questions. He cares deeply for his sister and his cousin but sometimes it can be a little on the overprotective side and grates on their nerves.  
She guides him to the porch swing and they sit on either side of him.

“They’re okay. It happened yesterday and we were trying to find the kid that did it so we could make sure he was punished.”  
“What did he do?”

This is the hard part. How do they explain the malevolent capabilities of a world that they’ve tried for so long to keep from him? They see his innocence peel away little by little everyday but there’s no other way to protect him; there’s only the truth.

“He tried to hurt your sister. He pushed her down and tried to touch her in a way that wasn’t okay.” Nicole says.  
“Do you remember we talked about personal space and boundaries? That it’s not okay to touch someone when they ask you not to?”  
“Consent.” He says proudly, remembering the term he was taught by his mothers.  
“Exactly. He didn’t have consent but Adeline was able to fight him off and she’s okay.”  
“Where is he now?”

Nicole and Waverly share a look and they hear a barely audible, ‘oh’. He points down with a questioning expression. Nicole nods and Waverly puts her hand over mouth.

“Well good. He’s where he deserves to be.”

Asher sticks his chin out and puffs his chest. He admires Dolls and wants to be like him in almost every way which means he has gotten very good at feigning bravado. However, he’s ten, and it’s clear that he’s scared.

“Can I go see her, please?”

Nicole lets him go inside and they follow behind him. The feeling inside the homestead is one that Asher’s never known before. He’s always felt comfortable here, it’s his home. But today, it seems darker, it smells different. He sits next to his sister and rests his head on her shoulder. She grabs his arm and strokes her thumb over his shirt sleeve.

“You okay?”

She nods but she doesn’t take her eyes off of Alice. She looks like she’s barely breathing. She’s paler than usual and even when Dolls came in she didn’t let her eyes flicker over to him, she just sat, staring into the fire.

“Alice?” Asher’s voice is timid.

Wynonna gives them a sad smile when Alice doesn’t answer. Asher crawls over to the couch to put his face in front of hers. There’s no hint of recognition or warmth in her steely blue eyes like there normally is. There’s no upward twinge on the corner of her mouth, no snarky remark on her lips. Just blankness.

“Alice, are you okay?”  
“I shot him.” Her voice is empty, almost like an echo.  
“You?”  
“Me. I shot him.”

Asher looks up to Wynonna for confirmation.

“Well, that’s okay.”

Alice’s eyes finally drift from the dirt on his shirt to his face. She crumbles. He leans down and wraps his arms around her the best he can at the awkward angle.

“You did that to protect Adeline. Just like Nonna does it to protect us.”  
“I did it because I’m selfish. I got mad. I wasn’t thinking.”  
“I think you were.” Adeline says.

She moves closer to sit in front of the couch next to her brother. Her thumb finds the freckle on Alice’s wrist.

“I think you knew exactly what you were doing. It was brave.”

Alice shakes her head. Wynonna watches the way Adeline’s head tilts and she wipes the tears off of Alice’s cheeks with her thumbs. She’s a perfect picture of Waverly. Asher sits in stoic silence, a focused look on his face, moving back and forth between his sister and his cousin; observing just like Nicole.

“You were brave and strong and exactly what I needed today.”  
“I killed someone today.”  
“He was already dead. He did horrible things. He threatened our family.”  
“Nobody threatens an Earp but an Earp.” Asher says, he smiles when Wynonna winks at him.  
“Damn straight.” Adeline says, “You took care of us today. Fire and brimstone. Gunpowder and whiskey, right?”  
“Earp and Holliday and Haught.” Alice finishes.

Adeline sits up and kisses her cheek.

“We can’t do this without you, Earp.”

 

The night drags on. Nobody seems to talk, or move, or even breathe. Dinner comes and goes, although none of them could really say who made it or what it tasted like. Asher is sent to bed with only a quick good night from both of his mothers. Dolls goes to the police station to deal with the fallout from earlier and everyone else stays stuck.

Alice and Adeline are laying in Alice’s bed. All the lights are off but they can each tell the other isn’t sleeping.

“Al?”  
“Hm?”  
“Can I ask you something?”

She takes the silence as acceptance.

“How did you shoot Peacemaker?”  
“I’m the heir.”  
“But you’re not twenty seven.”  
“Peacemaker’s a finicky bitch. I don’t pretend to understand it, neither should you.”

 

  
“I thought when we broke this damn curse that meant that was the end.” Wynonna says, holding her whiskey, sitting next to Waverly on the porch swing. “I thought that would be the end of the heir and the fight and the bullshit.”  
“So I guess this tells us something.” Waverly suggests.

Nicole and Doc are sitting on chairs on either side of them. Doc has his hat off, feet up on the handrail. Nicole has one leg tucked under her, her chin resting on her knee.

“What’s that?” Doc asks.  
“There’s more to this curse than we thought.”  
“And we need to find out what that is before any of the other kids get hurt, before it goes too far.” Wynonna says.  
“We will. We’ve come this far already, we’re not stopping now.” Waverly says.  
“Hell no. We’ve got work to do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me (or with me): www.lastchildofkrypton.tumblr.com


End file.
